


Specstacular

by InkyCarbuncle (Thunder_Fox)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Online Gamers AU, Reincarnation AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 04:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunder_Fox/pseuds/InkyCarbuncle
Summary: •Logging in as: NoctGar•Party Invite from: CupNoodleFan•NoctGar joined CupNoodleFan's partyThey didn't expect to find Ignis playing an online game in this life, but there he was. Right? Right?!





	Specstacular

**Author's Note:**

> My Ignoct White Day Exchange entry for LethalMinx on Twitter, who wanted anything Ignoct! I tried. :D
> 
> I wrote three separate things for this, but this was the one I liked best, and kind of want to expand on one day. I hope you like it! I'm not used to writing from Noct's POV.

•Logging in as: NoctGar

•Party Invite from: CupNoodleFan

•NoctGar joined CupNoodleFan's party

“Late, as usual.” Came Gladio's grumbling through his headset.

Noct huffed while the game booted up. “Yeah, yeah. Some of us have actual responsibilities.” Was his retort. One that he knew wasn't going to work on Gladio, but Prompto chimed in at the same time they were notified he joined the party, just in time to save him.

“Awesome! Now Noct and I only have to play with one internet random. Thanks, Gladio!” It was always easy to tell when Prompto was grinning into the mic. Noctis would have to remember to thank him later for the accidental save.

“Hope they're better than the last two. I don't need more ten year olds calling me names.” 

Gladio snorted, and Noctis figured that he was off the hook. Finding two out of three of the guys had been a blessing. Like last time, he had struggled making friends. Literally running into Prompto at the arcade three years ago, and learning that he had found Gladio had almost been enough to bring a tear to his eye. Much like learning that the familiar nightmares weren't just crazy dreams. He had yet to work out if that was a good thing, or not. 

They hadn't all settled in yet, the memories. Some came strongest with Prompto. Others, Gladio. It still felt like there was a lot missing. Which apparently had to do with he and Ignis’ long, rich history.

No matter how great it was to have them back again, and it was, Noctis found himself missing Ignis more often, than not. Fuzzy memories from a past life haunted him at night; bright green eyes, and private smiles.

Gladio drunkenly told him once, while they were scouring the internet for information on an Ignis Scientia, that his one time advisor had been head over heels in love with him. Noctis thought it was nonsense. He had never once gotten that impression. He just wanted his friend back. Not to be bombarded with these new thoughts, picking through memories that were hazy at best.

Apparently, they were stronger, the closer you were to the person in the present. Memories of Gladio and Prompto were bright, and clear. And between them was the outline of a tall man in hazy coeurl print, and glasses. It hurt his heart to know his oldest friend, was the one he was furthest from. That thoughts of him brought warm feelings of home.

“Any luck finding Iggy?” He asked hopefully. He knew the answer, of course. They would have told him if they had.

“Nah. Still looking, but his pain in the ass self probably respawned in Tenebrae, knowing our luck.” Gamer pun. Ignis would have found that funny, and he had a feeling that Gladio knew it.

“He would sound reeeeeally weird without the accent.” Noctis had to agree with Prompto's observation. The few things he could remember about Ignis always involved him with a suave, sexy accent.

And damn it, he really wished Gladio had never put the idea of Ignis being into him inside of his head. Sexy? Really? Now he really wished he had those memories. Oh well, he would think about it while they waited for a random to join. He knew the other two got tired of him bringing it up.

•Matchmaking in 30 seconds 

•Matchmaking in 15 seconds

•9… 8… 7

•Specstacular has joined the game

Awkward pause. 

“Umm… you guys-?” Prompto asked into the void, but there was nothing but radio silence. Noctis was still trying to process the possibilities. Lame pun. An ancient nickname that might be an example of the same uncomfortable itch that the old memories used to cause him before he knew.

“It's a coincidence.” Gladio cut in, but he did send out a party invite, just to get a group chat message in return. “Too many people around to chat now. So sorry.”

Great. Whoever they were, they were definitely putting them at a disadvantage. 

Or, maybe not. A few hours passed, and Noctis had to admit that the guy was pretty good. Noct had pestered Gladio into sending the rude “You a guy or a girl?” message, to find out he was a he, and he was dreadfully sorry to disappoint. 

Noctis wasn't disappointed at all. The short, clipped messages between rounds, and the sharp wit embedded in them brought him a comfort he hadn't even realized he had been missing. Could it actually be Ignis?

Before the game ended, and the guy logged off, he took a chance. 

•Friend request sent

•Specstacular has accepted your friend request 

There, easy.

\----

Or it would have been, if Noctis could bring himself to invite him to a party. Days passed, and it was usually later when Specstacular logged on. Like, way later. He was starting to think that the whole timezone theory about Ignis might be right.

Except, he still didn't know if this was Ignis. And he might never, if he didn't find the strength to call him. Because obviously he can't just message him and ask if his name is Ignis without being a creep.

•New message from Specstacular: Hope you don't mind, but up for a round of Glaives? I could use a player two.

Noctis almost jumped out of his skin. The last thing that he had expected was to get a message from the guy. He could feel his cheeks going pink, but at least he was alone. Player two? Really? Who talked like that to strangers online?!

Ignis, probably. He was officially losing his mind. If this wasn't Ignis, he might actually have a breakdown, with how much he had convinced himself it was.

Drat, he was taking too long to reply. How much time had gone by as he stared at the words on the screen? Long enough.

•New message from Specstacular: Let me know if you want to. I'll be in another game, but I can switch over.

Frantically, Noct started typing.

•Message sent from NoctGar: Sorry! Was AFK. Yeah, I'll be up for another couple of hours!

Which was stupid. Stupid! It was already so late, but he could skip that AM class and bum the notes off of someone. Ironically, if it was Ignis, he probably wouldn't approve of that. Or maybe new Ignis would? Noctis had grown up in a happy family. He may still be a little awkward and shy, but things were easier in this life. It was… nice, even. 

•Party invite from: Specstacular 

Oh no. Oh no, mayday. He hadn't expected a voice chat session, even though it is ultimately what he wants and needs. Sheer panic shot through his veins, and he was taking too long again. Get it together, Noct.

“Now, or never.” He muttered to himself as he reached for the headset and slid it over his ears.

•NoctGar joined Specstacular's party

Seconds that felt like an eternity, ticked by before he heard it. A simple, “Hello.” that rang in his ears, making his eyes go wide.

The voice was as smooth as ever, though perhaps more deeply accented than the Ignis that he remembered. A laugh slipped from between his lips because of course Gladio was right. That pain in the ass.

“Hello?”

Damn, he was spacing out again. Ignis probably thought he was crazy. “Hey.” He finally managed, feeling so awkward from his computer desk.

Ignis had gone silent now. Had he left the chat, waiting on him to join? Was he offended that it was a Lucian he had been playing with all along? Wait, no. That was ridiculous. Totally not an Ignis personality trait. 

The panic was returning. Or, it would have, if not for the quiet voice on the other end of the line. “... N-Noctis?” 

He sounded so unsure, but Noctis was bursting at the seams, while new memories blossomed into bright, vibrant colors. There was Iggy, with his squinty smiles, and thick glasses. And Iggy, sneaking up to the roof with him on a cloudless night to try and catch a glimpse of a meteor shower through magical walls that had long since disappeared from existence. Ignis, ever at his side, defending him, supporting him. 

There were dark ones, too. Things he still didn't quite understand, but they hurt his chest, and he could vaguely remember what it felt like to never feel those eyes focused on him again. That seemed wrong, though. He knew that he had died first.

“Yeah, Specs. Yeah. It's me.” From halfway across the world, he heard a controller clatter onto the floor. He could almost imagine the stunned look on his old friend's face.

“Noctis.” Ignis sounded choked up, yet breathless. It twisted his stomach into knots, and it didn't help that it was painfully obvious that Ignis was having a moment through his speech. “I… I was starting to think that you really were just a dream. A nightmare, come to taunt me about a life that was never mine.”

His own eyes were misting up. “No way, Iggy. I'm real. And somehow right back in Insomnia. Like the good ol’ days, except... something's missing.”

“And- what's that?”

“You, dummy. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?”

Ignis took a sharp breath, and he could almost see him now. He probably had his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes, trying to stay strong for no damn reason. “Oh.”

Noctis smiled softly. “Yeah. Um, if it's not too weird, can we switch to video?”

Ignis agreed, of course. He was still as handsome as ever. Three years Noct's elder this time, but he could have been twice his age for all Noctis cared. He wasn't the king of light anymore. His future was his own, and he had finally found the key that unlocked the rest of his memories. 

They didn't play any games that night, or the next. They filled it with chatter, and ended with Ignis’ affectionate smiles as he wished Noctis a good night, and sent him off to bed.

Three days later, they finally shared the news with Gladio and Prompto, who were ecstatic. Everything felt right for once. Ignis laughed. Really laughed. Not the polite sort, that came from years of study and practice controlling his emotions. 

Those barriers didn't exist anymore. Noctis asked about it one night. What Gladio had told him. He admitted that he had kept his feelings a secret for the good of everyone. By the time the political ties had fallen apart, it was too late. He was blind, and Noctis was out of his reach.

They shed tears over time lost, and love on lockdown, and laughed at the realization that life was different now. There was no rings. No arranged marriages with childhood friends. Noctis had never realized his own feelings until the idea had been planted in his head, and he tentatively suggested the long distance relationship thing. Ignis agreed in a heartbeat, and he knew that his feelings must have never gone away.

\----

Six months later, Noctis was bummed. Not a single peep had come from Ignis in two days. He knew that he could be busy. That he was just as much a perfectionist in this life, as he had been in the past, and that there were big plans unfolding.

Still, it seemed only right that he was allowed to pout as he watched Prompto chatter with and pet all of the dogs in the park. Prompto never changed. It didn't even seem out of the ordinary that he had dragged him along.

“Excuse me?” A familiar voice said in his ear, just as he tapped his shoulder. Noctis would recognize it anywhere.

He whipped around and flung himself into Ignis’ awaiting arms, burying his nose in the folds of his shirt as he clung to him.

Of course. OF COURSE.

“Big plans, huh?” He huffed, looking up from under those dark lashes with the same pouty frown. The blush had to have been a dead giveaway. He could never actually be mad at Ignis. Not for surprising him with a visit. He would be mad at Gladio and Prompto later, hovering back from the scene, with broad smiles, and that blasted camera.

“Only the biggest, and brightest plans for you, my love.” 

Noctis blushed brightly, hiding his face again. Stupid.

He could kiss him.

Wait…

Wait! Noctis could kiss him! He was right there, enveloped in those strong arms, blind to the world, and their friends, around them.

He pressed up on his toes, winding his arms around Ignis’ shoulders to pull him down into a kiss. The sort that made Ignis sigh against his lips, like every dream, and memory, were finally coming true for him.

It was perfect. 

“How long can you stay?” Noct asked, still hanging off of him.

“A few weeks.” And another kiss to cover Noct's pout. “For now. A more permanent solution is in the works. If you'll have me.”

There was just enough uncertainty there that Noctis had to kiss it away, then snuggled deeper into Ignis’ touch. “Always, Specs. We've always had each other's backs.”


End file.
